Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-12-24
BLAINE ON THE MESSAGE.

An American press reporter call
ed on Mr.. Blaine in Paris, immedia.
tely after the general tenor of the
Presidents message was known, and
his offhand views are a powerful
reputation of the freet trade idea
that pervades the Administrators
official utterances. We reproduce
some of the strongest points, and
regret that want of space makes
condensation necessary. Blaine's in
tervlew created more criticism and
attracted as de,spread attention
as the message itself.
II mean,n said Mr.. Blain, "that
for the first time in the history of the
United States the President recon-
mends retaining the internal tax in
order that the tariff may be forced
down even below the fair revenue
standard. He recommends that the
tax on tobacco be retained, and thus
that many millions annually shall be
levied on domestic product which
would far better come from tariff
on foreign ldOrlCS
"Certainly; | mean just that"
said Mr.. Blaine. " | should urge that
it be done at once, even before the
Christmas holidays. 1t would in the
first place bring great relief to grow
ers Of tobacco all over the country,
and would, materially lessen the
price of the article to consumers.
Tobacco to millions of men is a me-
cesSity. The President calls it a
luxury, but it is a luxury in no other
sense than tea and coffee are luxur-
les. 1t is we'll to remember that the
luxury OF yesterday becomes neces-
slty of today. Watch, if you please,
the number of men at work on the
farm. in the coal mine, along the
railroad, in the iron foundry, or in
any calling, and you will find 50 in
100 chewing while they work. After
each meal the same proportion seek
the solace of pipe or cigar.
These men not only pay the millions
of tobacco tax, but pay on every
plug and every cigar an enhanced
price which the tax enables the man.
ufaCturer and retailer to impose.
The only excuse for such a tax Is the
actual necessity under which the
government found itself during the
war and the years Immediately fol-
lowing. To retain the tax now in
order to destroy the Protection
which would incidentally flow from
raising the same amount of money
on foreign imports is certainly a
most extraordinary policy for our
government"
swell, then, Mr.. Blaine, would
you advise the repeal of the whisky
tax also ~
"No, l would not. Other consid.
erations than those of financial ad.
ministration are to be taken into &C
count with regard to whisky. There
is moral side to it. To cheaper
the price of whisky is to increase its
consumption enormously. There
would be no sense in urging the re.
form wrought by high license in
many states if the national Govern.
ment neuCralizes the good effect by
making whisky within reach of
everyone at twenty cents a gallon.
Whisky would be everywhere dis
titled if the surveillance of the Gov
eminent were withdrawn by the re-
mission of the tax. and illicit sales
could not then be prevented even by
policy as rigorous and searching as
that which Russia pursues the Nihi
lists. 1t would destroy high license
at once in all the states.
Whisky has done vast deal of
harm in the United States. Iwould
try to make it do some good. |
would use the tax to fortify our cit.
les on the seabOard. In view of the
powerful letter addressed to the
Democratic party on the subject of
Notifications by the late Mr.. Samuel
j. Tilden in 1885, am amazed that
no attention has been paid to the
subject by the Democratic admins
tration. Never before in the history
OF the world has any government al
lowed great cities on the seaboard
like Philadelphia, New York, Boston,
Baltimore, New Orleans and San
Francisco, to remain defeuseleSs."
"Yes," said Mr.. Blaine, $50 long
as there is whisky to tax l would
tax it, and when the National Gov
eminent should have no use for the
money | would divide the tax among
the Federal Union with the specific
object of tightening the tax on real
estate. The houses and farms of the
whole country pay too large a pro-
portion of the total taxes. If ulti-
mately relief could be given in that
direction it would, in my Judgment,
be wise and beneficent policy.
Some honest but misguided friends
of temperance have urged that the
Government should not use the
money derived from the tax on
whisky. My reply is that the tax
on whisky by the Federal Govern
ment, with its suppression of all il
licit diStillation and consequent en-
hancement of price, has been pow
erful agent in the temperance re-
form by putting it beyond the reach
of SO many. The amount of whisky
consumed in the United States per
capita to day is not more than 40
per ce1t of that consumed thirty
years ago."
YES" answered Mr.. Blaine, 81
should seriously object to the repeal
of the duty on wool. To repeal that
would work great injustice to many
interests and would seriously dis.